Is Jane Goodall about to lose her post?

As one of the most revered primatologists, Dame Jane Goodall has long added
weight to attempts by Advocates for Animals to close zoos on the grounds of
their alleged cruelty.

By Tim Walker, edited by Richard Eden

2:39AM BST 23 May 2008

As one of the most revered primatologists, Dame Jane Goodall has long added weight to attempts by Advocates for Animals to close zoos on the grounds of their alleged cruelty.

However, she is now embroiled in a row with the group, of which she is president, after she praised a research centre that she opened at Edinburgh Zoo.

"The choice is between living in wonderful facilities like these, where they [primates] are probably better off, or living in the wild in an area like Budongo [in Uganda], where one in six gets caught in a wire snare, and countries like Congo, where chimpanzees, monkeys and gorillas are shot for food commercially," she said this week at the opening of the Living Links to Human Evolution Centre, which will house squirrels and monkeys for research.

"If I were a chimpanzee, I know what I would choose."

Ross Minett, the campaigns director of Advocates for Animals, tells Mandrake that its governing committee will soon meet to discuss Dame Jane's role. "This is an issue where Jane and we have a difference of opinion," he says.

"Clearly the statement she's made contradicts our position. She's entitled to her opinion, but our position isn't going to change. We oppose the keeping of animals in captivity for entertainment."